Howl at the Moon Read Free Page B

raining glitter over the name of the store. The very term “drag” spoke to a select minority of the world, and this woman didn’t figure into it. He sighed again.
    Be nice , he thought to himself.
    “I’m Aaron, the owner of The Fairy Drag Mother. I’d hope my store was a little more visible than that.”
    “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean any harm.”
    “Child, I’m just playing. What’s your name?”
    “Tatiana Henderson. Nice to meet you. This store is amazing. I mean I’ve never seen anything like this. I bet the clubgoers come in like crazy.”
    “Well, I guess you can say that, honey. But my clientele is, well, different.” Her eyes widened at that.
    “You mean like strippers?”
    Aaron couldn’t help his laugh then. The chick couldn’t be this naive. Lord, give him strength.
    “Oh, I like that Aaron,” Lea butted in.
    “Shut up, Tinkerbelle.”
    “I could show you better than I can tell you. How about you sit right there and I will be back in a moment?”
    “Okay.”
    Aaron disappeared into his back office and looked down at his vanity. Shock value sometimes got people where he wanted them to be. He had to get this woman to open up about her most sacred hurt, and Lea had given him no advice in how to make that happen. Perhaps giving her something of him would help. Plus, he liked the idea of having to show a woman how to work it. Sometimes a drag queen’s job was never done.
    He knew he was tall, and heels made him taller. Even being six foot four, he still loved his stilettos. He pulled a silver pair of shoes on before taking black skinny jeans and a tank top out. A simple enough outfit to get his point across. He wasn’t preparing for a show. He changed, performing a miracle with his duct tape, until he looked like he had cleavage, and no other equipment. So dressed, he sat down at his vanity to change his face. When he was younger, the guys had picked on him for his softer features. His full lips were too soft, his brown eyes too warm, and his mannerisms too girlie. He didn’t care. Most of the ones who talked about him, he’d turned in his years in high school. Sad, but true. Honey, most of the time the quarterback of the football team and homecoming king loved to catch.
    Aaron smiled to himself, unconcerned. He cleaned his face thoroughly, then put on some sunscreen. After that, he smoothed his chocolate complexion. He could wok magic with his Sigma brush set when he put his mind to it, and at the moment his mind was definitely to it. He trimmed his eyebrows and got ready to work. He used some spirit gum to flatten his brows so he could trim them. Step one, done.
    His Mac Studio Tech foundation went on next, evening any splotches in his skin tone. He blended in his concealer methodically. Step by step, his face emerged. He knew the hardest thing to soften was his jaw so he overemphasized his eyes and put on a larger wig. Most people thought big hair was the queen thing because of the look. It wasn’t entirely true. He was tall, and he knew it. The larger hair, which simply meant a full curled look, helped him be proportioned and lengthened the look around his shoulder area. It also framed and softened his chin area.
    Slowly, Aaron disappeared and Coco LaMann immerged. His alter ego. His other half was softer, nicer, than Aaron ever was. The mask that didn’t have to fight to be who she was, she simply was. Coco could be the good girl while Aaron was the asshole. Time had proven that. He thought that Tatiana would be more comfortable talking to a woman than a man. Sometimes that happened. Later she may she still need the asshole to whip her into shape, even as the good girl hugged her close and said it was going to be okay.
    Mind made up, Coco walked out of her office and back into the store side of The Fairy Drag Mother, leaving Aaron behind. She cleared her throat delicately and watched Tatiana blink awake. The poor girl was out of it so much she’d rather sleep in a store than go